


The One Where They Adopt Jesse

by MasterChachki



Series: The Noodle Dragons Band [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dad Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Dad Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Fluff, Jack and Gabe are teachers in this fic but mentions of their old band, M/M, Rated T for language, Some angst, This is only the beginning, Trans Jesse McCree, Trans Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, band au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2018-12-15 20:35:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11813721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasterChachki/pseuds/MasterChachki
Summary: It started when he heard some kid playing on the side of the street. Blame his bleeding heart, but Gabriel Reyes cannot just let some brat waste away because the system fucked him over.Wherein Jack and Gabe are engaged and music teachers who adopt like. All the kids. In this one, the two take a certain Jesse McCree under their wing.Buckle up folks, this is only the beginning.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wowee I've been working on this for ages. After this is posted, be ready for a heck ton of more things to pop up in the next few weeks...because I've got most of the other stuff planned out. I just wanted to have Jesse's story mostly finished because wellllll, it's generally from his point of view. There will be eventual McHanzo, Gency, AnaRein, Sympharah, Zencio, and Tracer/Emily in the final later parts, so in case you are curious.
> 
> Oh also, if I'm missing any tags, please let me know. I'll update it as often as I can!

He remembered the day clearly, as he’s want to do for all his kids. It was nearing fall, so the afternoon’s temperature was nice. He would say it was perfect weather for a sweatshirt, but let’s be real, for a man like Gabriel Reyes, all weather is perfect weather for a sweatshirt.

The man actually hears the kid before he sees him. And he’s mildly surprised that it was the first time he had.

He was walking home from work when he heard someone playing something that sounded like drums. The sound was wild, and there weren’t really any transitions, but whoever was playing, they had a good beat.

As he turned the corner, he was surprised to see a kid, probably a bit younger than his own students. They seemed small for a kid, not short by any means, but long and lanky. It was as if the kid’s body was growing too quickly for the rest of them to keep up. The kid's clothes were dirtier than any of his students, and there seemed to be a layer of grime on the kid’s tanned skin. The one thing that seemed to be well take care of, however, was the too big cowboy hat sitting in front of their kit.

Gabriel decided to stick around and listen to the kid finish up their first set before he dropped a few dollars in the hat.

The kid nodded their thanks and Gabriel stayed for one more set before he had to head home. He didn’t think much more about it until he saw him again.  
\---  
The next day, he heard a familiar beat coming from the same corner. 

It was the same kid, and he was still playing something different. Gabriel had to admit that he was impressed, though a bit concerned. He shot off a text to his fiancé to let him know he was going to be a little late coming home and waited until the kid had finished off his last song.

“You doing this for some extra cash, kid?” he asked. 

“Sure thing, a man’s gotta make his livin’ somehow or ‘nother,” was the kid’s easy reply. 

Gabriel chuckled but dropped a few more dollars in the hat, “Alright, but I have to admit, you’re a bit young to be worrying about that kind of thing. You don’t look much older than one of my students.”

Gabe thought he saw the kid grimace, but it was so quick he wasn’t sure.

“Don’t matter how old I am, just gotta be able to play, don’t I?” the kid snarked back. “‘Sides, there’s too much time wasted sittin’ around all day bein’ talked at. I can’t go aroun’ wastin’ my time.”

Gabriel was mildly concerned. There were a few warning signs going off in his head the day before, but taking what the kid said into greater account, he frowned.

The kid’s clothes still didn’t seem to fit right, and there was another layer of grime on their face. He could see into the kid’s backpack and instead of books or binders, he saw toiletries and clothes. Connecting the dots, he knew he had to approach this carefully. So, he decided to act like he didn’t fully understand until he learned more.

He raised his hands in surrender, “You aren’t wrong, kid. But you look like you could use a bite to eat, how about we head over to the diner and grab you a sandwich or something.”

The kid’s eyes flashed for a second in hope but they shook their head, “No can do. Can’t give up the spot, yah know how many other kids I hadta boot so I could keep my space? I can grab somethin’ later. ‘Sides, I told yah I gotta earn my livin’ myself.”

Gabriel tsk’d, but he allowed it. Then he asked, “Alright, well, you allergic to anything, kid?”

The kid jumped a little in surprise, “No sir.”

“Good, I’ll be back,” he replied before heading inside the coffee shop before the kid could reply.

He ordered a sandwich and a large tea to go with it, making sure to ask for extra vegetables and paid for an extra helping of meat (the kid looked a little too gaunt for his liking). He came back and tossed him the sandwich and sat the drink down next to him. They looked like they were about to protest but he held his hand up.

“Take it, consider it a tip for the added songs I stuck around for today,” he said. “The shop said that larges allow for refills on whatever you want for the rest of the day. It’s still pretty early, but if you finish all that, head back inside and they’ll even keep an eye out for your stuff while you get a refill. I know drumming can uses a lot more energy than most instruments. And with how you were wailing on your kit earlier, I think you could use it.

“Always have to tell my kids to stay hydrated, the little brats never do…” he trailed off.

The kid perked up again, deciding to just accept the sandwich and said around a mouthful, “You got kids, mister? You don’t look that old.”

“Kid, just call me Gabriel or Gabe or something, I don’t like being called ‘mister’ anything outside of class. Makes me think a student spotted me in my natural element of being the edgiest of them all,” Gabe answered, to which the kid snorted. Gabe took a seat on the wall next to the makeshift drum kit. “And, nah not actual kids. But I got about ninety students, I teach over at the local high school.”

“You’re a teacher? Don’t much look like one, mister,” the kid said. 

“Told yah, call me Gabe, I don’t like being called just ‘mister’,” he replied.

“Fine. Gabe,” the kid. “But you’re a teacher? Yah don’t much act like one neither.”

Gabriel feigned offense, placed a hand over his heart and gasped, “‘I don’t much act or look like one?’ Damn kid, you don’t hold back. But for your information, I’m an orchestra teacher.” He paused, “By the way, you got a name, kid? I don’t want to keep calling you ‘kid’.”

They glanced to the side before answering, “I’m...Jesse McCree.”

“Pronouns?” he asked.

Jesse turned to him fully and eyed him suspiciously, “He/him, sir.”

Gabriel gave him a side glance and nodded, “Alright, and don’t give me that look. I always want to make sure. I’ve got too many students to just assume,” he paused. “Plus, I guess you could say ‘like gets like’.”

Jesse swallowed hard, “You too?”

Gabe made sure to hold his gaze and nodded firmly.

The two sat in thoughtful silence for a minute or two before Gabriel hummed, “Alright Jesse McCree, any chance you’re going to tell me why a young man like you is on the street like you are? Because I get the feeling you aren’t telling me the whole truth.”

Jesse stared at his half eaten sandwich.

“If you don’t want to tell me, kiddo, then you don’t really have to. I’m just not fond of the idea of a kid wandering the streets like this,” Gabriel sighed.

Jesse took the out he was offered, but said, “Don’t yah worry ‘bout it Gabe, been doin’ okay for a while, I can keep doin’ okay for a while longer.”

Gabriel didn’t want to let it go, he really didn’t, but forcing the issue might just make him run away. So he did the best he could and humored him, but made a mental note to come back every day.

Time passed as they chatted, admittedly awkwardly at first. That was until Gabe offered Jesse some advice on his drumming. It was a small thing, how he was holding his sticks, how it caused him to use more energy than normally necessary. But then the two bonded and talked more because of that. It was starting to get dark and Gabriel offered him another sandwich before he began to head home. Jesse grumbled about it, saying he had money to get whatever he needed today, but Gabe just shook his head and paid for his dinner.

This continued for about a week, Gabriel working to build up his trust, and sometimes going to his fiancé for more drumming advice.

One day, however, he didn’t see Jesse anywhere. It rained late the night before and the temperature dropped a good ten degrees. With this, Gabriel’s worry and regret amplified. When he didn’t see or hear the boy the next day, Gabe’s stomach churned with guilt on his walk home.

The relief he felt on the third day upon seeing him was palpable, though it was quickly dashed as he saw that the boy’s face was flushed and he seemed to be sweating a lot, especially considering the colder weather.

Gabriel cursed under his breath.

Jesse, however, grinned when he saw him approach. 

“Howdy teach,” he seemed to be swaying a little. “Long time no see.”

Gabe shook his head, “Hey there kiddo, you ain’t looking too hot.” Understatement of the year.

“Nah, I always make dragons wanna retire, man,” Jesse laughed feverishly at his own joke.

Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh and appreciate the reference to “Uptown Funk”, but he needed to make sure the kid would be safe and given a chance to recover. 

How to approach this though.

“You know what I mean, Jesse. But, you look like you haven’t eaten anything in awhile, what do you want?” he tried.

The boy grimaced at the mention of food.

“Dontcha worry, teach. I ain’t too hungry,” he said, but muttered. “Probably wouldn’t be able to hold it down even if I was.”

The older man sighed and decided that maybe approaching this carefully wasn’t helping. The kid obviously didn’t have a safe place, plus, it was supposed to rain again tonight. If Jesse was sick right now, it would most likely only get worse from here on out if he didn’t do something right then.

“Okay look kid, I can’t in my right mind let you go back to wherever you’re hiding out. It’s rained the last two nights, you’ve been gone those two days, and you come back sick,” Gabriel paused as the kid looked like he wanted to protest. “Nope, Professor Reyes is talking.

“I’m going to give you a choice. Blue pill, story ends, I take you to the hospital no questions asked you get taken back to wherever you were. Red pill, you come back with me, and my fiancé make sure you’re well and you’re free to do what you want,” he laughed off Jesse’s sigh of annoyance. “But for real, if you’re unsure because I am a stranger and an older man--”

“Old man really,” Jesse muttered.

“I’m not that old, brat,” Gabriel replied, good-naturedly. “Anyway, I can offer you at least a guest room and we could stop by where ever you’re squatting and pick up your stuff so you don’t have to worry about it getting stolen while you’re gone.”

Jesse seemed torn between wanting to trust him or not. On the one hand, the man wasn’t too much of a stranger. The two had talked quite a lot in the last week, and he never once felt uncomfortable around him. There weren’t any expectations that were layered on him from the man’s kindness, and it helped that he was a teacher (a good one at that) so he felt like he could trust him.

Past experiences however, made him doubt at least a little. Even the best men could have some dark secrets.

Sensing his troubles, Gabe supplied, “If it helps, I don’t live alone. My fiancé and I share the place. Plus, we could give you my keys and the guest room door locks from the inside...and if you don’t feel safe at any point, you are free to leave.

“I know it’s hard to trust a stranger, and I know I don’t exactly look the most safe to be around, but I want to make sure a snotty nosed kid isn’t out on the streets and sick as a dog,” Gabe finished. “And I mean literally snotty nosed, like kid, the more I look at you, the more I feel bad for not carrying yet another tissue box on me.”

Jesse looked like he was considering his options.

“I can leave whenever I want. No expectations, if I disappear in the middle of the night yain’t gonna call the cops?”

Gabriel frowned, “I thought about it, considered it, but eh,” he shrugged. “It probably would do more bad than good. ...if that is what you want, I can? But you have to let me know that you’re at least okay. Can’t have a kid I managed to fail on my conscious…especially because I get enough e-mails from parents about class failures.”

“Fine,” Jesse said. He grunted as he stood up and had to grab one of the turned over buckets for support.

“Easy kid, how about you let me pick this all up and pack it away, and I help you point to where you stashed the rest of your things so we can take ‘em with us,” he said as he grabbed Jesse’s shoulder to steady him.

“‘Sall I got, teach,” he mumbled. “Righ’ here in my pack.”

Gabriel nodded in return then helped roll and pack up Jesse’s ‘drum kit’. He had to admit, he was impressed, the boy had managed to find just the right things to make an almost complete set. Alongside that, there was some creative ingenuity when it came to his kick bass that Gabriel couldn’t help but whistle at. 

He glanced down at Jesse and asked, “You think you can walk, Jesse?”

The boy tried getting up but after a few seconds he sighed miserably, “I need a lil’ help...I think.”

“Alright, you're not walking hold on,” Gabe moved the buckets around so that they would be easily carried in front of him and nodded to Jesse to put on his backpack, to which he did.

He then squatted down in front of Jesse with his back to him. 

“Hop on,” Gabe said after a few moments. He glanced over his shoulder, “Come on kid I don't have all day. It’ll be easier to carry you and everything else this way.”

The boy grumbled under his breath.

“I’m sorry, was that a, ‘Oh thank you Gabriel, you’re a real life saver you are!’ that I heard or were my ears mistaking me?” snarked the man in reply.

“Er--yeah. Sorry just, do we gotta do this?” Jesse whined. It took him a second to pull himself up enough so that Gabriel could pick him up piggy-back style.

“Sorry kid, this way we can carry all your stuff without having to make a second trip,” he replied. “Princess hold means I can’t carry your drums, I think the firefighter hold will make you nauseas, and I don’t wanna deal with kid sick.”

“...kid sick?” the boy blanched.

“Look, I may teach, and I can deal with vomit better than some of my colleagues but damn kid, there’s only so many times a man can handle a kid throwing up all over his desk.”

Jesse snorted, “Right, point taken.”

The boy seemed satisfied with Gabriel’s answer and fell silent. He started to drift off after a bit, as he finally let himself relax since catching whatever it was he had.

“...thank ya kindly,” he muttered before he nodded off completely.

Gabriel grunted in reply and moved the drum kit a little in his arms enough so he could send a text to his fiancé to let him know he was on his way back with Jesse and to ask him to keep the door unlocked so he could walk in.

The walk was short, but it gave Gabe a chance to think. The boy was a lot lighter than he should be and radiating more heat than even his cold should be causing him.

Jesse didn’t have a place to stay, he most likely wasn’t going to school, and he had to be really young. Plus with his situation, he most likely won’t get the support he’ll need to have a chance in the future.

There were a lot more doubts about what he could do. What he should do. He was a bit of a mess emotionally and sometimes mentally. Sure, he was a teacher, but that too was a problem. Not just him, but Jack too. Sure they were still getting a bit of money from their old college band, but Jack was also a teacher and they didn’t make that much money. Could they support him?

Plus, would Jack actually be okay with taking the kid in?

...of course he would, the man was a damn boy scout. And the second Jesse starts playing, he knows Jack won’t want to let him go.

Would Jesse be okay with all that though?

...that he couldn’t be sure of. 

He sighed and started walking up the staircase to his apartment. He could smell something like garlic and chicken coming from the second floor. It was comforting and the man couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey, I’m home,” he called, as he stopped outside his door. There had been some clattering coming from inside but it stopped immediately. “Smells good, cariño.”

“So what exactly did you mean by you’re bringing home a guest and why couldn’t you have mentioned ear--” another man answered as he opened the door, but paused when he saw the two. “Is this the kid you’ve been talking about?”

The man was tall and dressed down in a worn out t-shirt, jeans, and an apron wrapped around his waist. His hair was messy and blond and his blue eyes were crinkled with concern.

“He does not look good at all, dammit Gabe, why didn’t you try bringing him with you sooner?” he said, placing a hand to his forehead. He frowned, “He’s got a pretty high temperature but right now it seems like he just needs some food and rest.”

Gabriel chuckled and dropped off the buckets near the door. 

“The kid’s obviously a runaway, Jackie. I had to earn his trust so he wouldn’t just disappear, and I know he only came with me because he knew he needed to.”

“I know but…”

“He’ll be okay...just...let’s get him settled in the guest room and I’ll run to the store for some cold medicine.”

Jack looked unsure but nodded. When the two were in the room, Jack helped Gabe take off Jesse’s backpack and placed it right next to the bed, within reach and sight. They tucked him in and Jack brushed some hair out of the boy’s face. The two turned towards the door and walked back out, standing close enough that their shoulders were touching.

“He’s just a kid, Gabe,” he muttered after they closed the door.

“Yeah.”

“He’s too thin.”

“Yep.”

“Is...is that really all he has?”

“Mhm.”

“You don’t want him to go back out there do you,” Jack stated.

“He needs a place to stay, Jack,” replied Gabriel.

“Okay.”

“Okay so I know we don’t have everything together yet and we still have to plan a shit ton of other things for whenever we finally get married and we don’t have a lot of money saved up--”

“Gabe.”

“And we’re teachers and that means we probably won’t have a lot of money in the long run and I know I can be an ass sometimes--”

“Gabe, I said--”

“And we only just started getting an idea of what the hell we’re doing--”

“Gabriel,” Jack grabbed his shoulders and turned him to face him. “I said, okay. I don’t want him going back out there either.”

The other man blinked in surprise, “Oh.”

Jack laughed.

“Cool, well I mean we do need to figure out the paperwork too, so we’ll need to find out where he came from and he’s going to have a lot of needs but...you’re okay with taking him in?”

“Gabriel (future) Morrison. You realize that I also work with kids and care about their well-being just as much as you do, right?”

Gabriel laughed this time, “Okay. Yeah, I just...you know. He’s a random kid and I’m the one who was talking to him this whole time so I figured you’d want to send him back to where he was supposed to go.”

“He ran away, and we both know that kids don’t do that unless they have a pretty damn good reason.”

“...heh, yeah.”

“It has to be his decision though, if he feels like maybe there’s some other family that would work better for him, we let him go, yeah?”

“Yeah…” Gabriel smiled softly. “Fair enough.”

He paused.

“And Morrison?”

“Yes, Gabe?”

“The name’s going to be Gabriel Reyes, yours will be Jack Reyes.”

Jack snorted but leaned into the other man as he wrapped an arm around his waist.

“In your dreams, Gabo.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot more Jesse here and a little less Gabriel. But a lot more joking, edgy, goofball Gabe because humor's great for making a kid less nervous.
> 
> Also, I don't think updates will be this often from here on, but I'm hoping to have something out at least once a week until I'm all caught up on AO3 with what I've already finished. Perhaps expect a few one-shots that are set at different times in this timeline.

Hours later, Jesse woke to something gently shaking his shoulder. Even though his body felt sore, he felt like he was sleeping on a cloud.

“Jesse, come on buddy, I need you to drink this,” a familiar voice said to his right. “I know I told you red pill, but they only had grape flavor.”

“Wha…?” was Jesse’s eloquent response.

“Ah, you’re coherent. It’s not good to stay sick alone, drink this.”

“...was that. Why?” the boy said, sitting up a little. He looked looked to his side and saw Gabriel standing next to him with a medicine cup filled with a dark medicine.

“You’re awake now yeah? Seriously kid, I’m starting to feel weird holding this over you, it’s like I’m about to waterboard you, but I’m not sure you can do that with two tablespoons of cold medicine.”

Jesse took the little cup from Gabriel and sniffed it. “...they really only had grape?”

“You mean, thanks Gabriel, for fighting off hoards of angry middle aged moms for goddamn cough medicine. I knew there was something going around but damn, it’s like the next biggest thing since strep and the kids’ parents refuse to take them home,” he said. 

Jesse snorted but cringed, his throat was scratchy earlier but sleep seemed to have made it worse. He downed the medicine in one gulp, and cringed even more.

“Thanks, teach,” he coughed.

Gabriel grabbed the water bottle he’d placed next to the kid’s bed and handed it to him. “ _De nada_ , but here this should help get rid of the taste at least a little. I would’ve gotten you a gatorade but I thought maybe I should ask for any particular flavors you’d want? Or allergies. I’ve asked before but who even knows sometimes kids get reactions to the weirdest things. I know my damn throat gets itchy with the cucumber lime one...”

“What, really?” Jesse asked. “You don’t gotta, sir. I’ll be good just drinking water.”

“Nope, gatorade’s got the electrolytes and some sugar that your body’s gonna need. But, if you don’t really like gatorade, I have an old family recipe that  _ mi abuela _ used to make me. It was pretty good,” he paused, looking thoughtful. “I’m sure we still have some ginger somewhere from when Jack made some kind of curry dish.”

“Ginger?” the boy asked.

“Hmm? Well, yes. When I was a young boy, my grandma went into the city to buy some lemons and honey.”

He paused, and a grin stretched over his face, at which point Jesse squinted.

“She’d said,  _ mijo _ , when you wake up, will you please drink this tea.”

“...is that,” Jesse deadpanned. “...is that My Chemical Romance?”

It was at this point Jesse was half sure he was in some sort of fever dream. He was already sick, and to have woken up in the most comfortable bed he’s slept on in months, but to also have someone next to him, taking care of him and joking around while he was sick. It had been years since that last happened.

Gabriel grinned, “Good, you know the classics. Kids these days seem to forget where they came from.”

“Ain’t they only, like, ten years old?”

“Classics,” Gabriel laughed. “Alright, if you’re well enough to banter with me though, you must be feeling better. But your throat still sounds scratchy so I’ll make you some tea.”

Gabriel got up to leave but Jesse grabbed his arm. He turned back to him.

“Hey uh, Gabe?” he muttered.

“Hm?”

“Thanks.”

Gabriel stopped and patted Jesse’s head, “You’re welcome, Jesse.”

He kept patting the kid’s head and slowly started messing his hair up more and more before Jesse realized he was starting to do it purposely. He snorted, and pushed his hand away.

“ Stop--Gabe stop!” he laughed hoarsely. “You’re messin’ up my ‘do!”

“Hah, it was already a mess kiddo. Can’t mess up something that was already a mess,” Gabe laughed back. “As soon as you’re feeling better, you need a bath. I’m all for the grunge look, but you’re really pushing it kid.”

The boy flushed, “Not like I do this on purpose, teach.”

“I know, which is why you’re going to rest and then get clean. Feel free to use the bathroom whenever you need. It’s right down the hall on your left and use whatever shower things are in there too. I’ll get you a towel and some old clothes that you can use,” he explained. “Stay here for now, I’ll get you some food and tea. Jack made some chicken soup.”

Jesse nodded and after Gabriel left he let himself study the room a bit more. It was very plain, with a small dresser in one corner, with an open closet in the other. The door was white, but the walls appeared to be painted a pastel blue. Next to the bed was a table that held a lamp whose soft light was illuminating the room faintly. 

The mattress of the bed itself was a little musty, as if it wasn’t used often, but the sheets smelled fresh and felt clean. It was a stark contrast to how he himself felt, as he knew there had to be a layer of grime still on him.

He sat there in silence for a few more minutes before he heard a couple of knocks.

“Hey kid, I’m coming in, is that alright?” called Gabriel through the door.

Jesse blinked in surprise, but said a quiet, “Yeah,” hoping it was loud enough.

The older man opened the door, precariously balancing a mug and bowl in his arms. They looked hot, but it seemed that the black hoodie Gabriel was wearing protected him from scalding his arms.

“You think you can hold a spoon?” he asked. “I know you had trouble standing up earlier.”

Jesse held up his hand, it was shaking a little, but it wasn’t too bad, so he nodded.

“Good, but I’ll stick around a little just in case, alright?” Gabriel paused. “I just want to make sure you eat everything. Or at least don’t end up spilling it all over yourself.”

Jesse nodded again.

“Do you want me to leave, kiddo? I can give you some privacy if I’m helicoptering, especially if you’d rather some peace.”

Jesse looked up, but then away from Gabriel. The old man could see the kid was considering his options. After a few seconds of deliberations, he shook his head without looking back up.

“I’d uh…” he coughed, glancing away. “I’d...like you to stay, please.”

Gabriel’s face softened even more. The kid kept worming his way further into his heart. 

“Alright, hmm, do you mind if I play a little? The guitar I mean. The kids have a concert coming up, and they want me to play one of my old songs for them,” he smiled nostalgically. “Heh...dumb love ballad.”

Jesse coughed, “Love ballad? I reckon ya don’t seem like the type to write that kind of shit.”

“Language kid,” replied Gabriel easily. “And eat your soup. You’re too skinny, and  _ mi mamá  _ taught me to keep growing boys fed.”

The boy pouted, but took a sip of the soup. He was surprised that it had a little bit of spice to it. 

“It’s spicy?”

“Don't complain, it’ll clear your sinuses!”

“‘M not, just wasn' expectin’ it,” he took another sip. “‘S good.”

“Should be kiddo, Jack made it! He’s surprisingly good at cooking for white bread.”

Jesse snorted, it wasn't really funny but Gabe’s face turned sort of mushy when talking about his, he guessed, fiancé.

Not much else was really said, and Gabriel had settled into a chair he’d pulled in to play quietly. The young teen finished his soup and tea and started to feel drowsy. He was warm, but not feverish, and he started to nod off. He wasn’t sure if Gabriel was still playing the same song, but the longer he listened, the more he relaxed. There were few thoughts really floating through his head as he laid back down but one thing did occur to him.

He realized he could trust this man.

\---

The next day, Jesse felt even better than the day before. He sat up and saw sunlight streaming from the nearby window. Glancing to the side table, there was a note, water, and a set of keys. He picked up the letter and started to read:

‘ _ Hey kid, _

_ As promised, here are my keys. Jack said there’s more soup in the fridge, just warm it up for… _ (there were several timestamps crossed out)  _ 30-45 seconds and it won’t be scalding. There’s a red towel in the bathroom that’s clean in case you want to shower, and some old, but clean clothes in the drawers of the room you’re in. They might be a little big, but they’ll at least be more comfortable than jeans, right? _

_ Try not to burn the place down, leave a couple of teachers a place to sleep, okay? _

_ One of us should be back around 4, if none of the students ask the usual 300 questions. I’ll pick up some things for rice porridge. I hope you like shrimp? Well, you don’t have a choice for that at least. Unless you want more chicken soup. Which is also okay, for whatever reason boy scout made enough for an army.  _

_ he’s a growing boy Gabe, and a teenager. teenagers need a lot of food _

_ well did you hear _

_ gabe _

_ teenagers scare _

_ no _

_ the living shit out of me _

_ why are you like this _

_ i was born this way baby _

_ STOP _

There were a few more lines of crossed out words, but Jesse had to stop and put his head in his hands.

He stopped to think. The last few days have been, for lack of a better word, weird. A good kind of weird though. He’d had enough money and food to not feel the uncomfortable ache the last week because of Gabriel and his damn sandwiches. Then he ends up in the man and his fiance’s apartment, where they are taking care of him just because he caught a cold.

Not to mention the amount of trust he has in the guy.

It wasn’t necessarily unusual, he knew he trusted people too easily and too quickly. It was how he ended up in this mess after all. 

He sat up slowly, in case he felt nauseous, but in comparison to the day before, he felt almost completely better. There was still a little bit of scratchiness in the back of his throat and his nose was also a little plugged up, but this was the best he’s felt all week.

So, he decided to stand up. Maybe he misjudged just how well he felt, but his legs felt a like jelly, his vision swam, and he fell back on the bed.

Okay, maybe not as well as he thought.

Jesse took a moment to get his bearings and stood up carefully. He still felt a little dizzy, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as a second ago. Walking slowly to the door, he cracked it open.

There weren’t any sounds in the house, other than the typical building settling creak. He stuck his head out a little more and knew he was really alone in the apartment. 

He couldn’t really believe how much they trusted him.

“Well, might as well take advantage o’ their hospitality...would be nice to feel like a human again,” the boy muttered to himself. 

He made his way back towards the bed and dug around in his pack for anything clean.

“Damn,” he muttered. Nothing.

A quick glance towards the dresser and he saw another note stuck to it.

_ Hey kid, _

_ In case you missed the other note, or ignored it. Take your pick. There’s a few sweatshirts from my old scene days in here and they might fit you alright.  _

_ Also some old boxers. I think they were gag gifts from our old band that were never used so nothing to worry about on those. _

_ Oh, also. Give your chest room to breath. Your sick lungs will love you better for it. If you are binding or I come home and notice you are, you are going to march into the bathroom and take it off. The sweatshirts are big, trust me, kid, they’ll hide a lot. _

_ -Gabe _

_ P.S. When I said sick lungs, I don’t mean sick in a ‘whoa that was a sick jump’ but in a, ‘you are fudging sick with a cold get better first you brat’ sort of way. _

_ P.S.S.  _ _ when gabe said the clothes were from his ‘old’ scene days, he’s lying. he’s still a scene poser. _

_ P.S.S.S. (there were more crossed out lines of text that Jesse chose to ignore. were these men actually children?)   _

Jesse dug around in the drawers and came up with a black sweatshirt and some dark grey sweatpants. There was also some boxers that looked small enough to fit him and he grabbed those too.

He held the sweatshirt up to himself and decided it was baggy enough to wear without anything underneath.

_ Thank god I ain’t really hit puberty yet or this might not work, _ he thought.

Without another thought, he gathered the clothes up and made his way back towards the bathroom. His legs still sort of felt like jelly, so it was slow going. However, he made it there without tipping over, and even managed to not really stumble. He closed and locked the door before turning to look around.

It was small, but nice. There were two toothbrushes in a cup near the sink. Next to the cup was a small kohl pencil and a dark blond eyebrow pen.  _ Old scene days my ass,  _ he chuckled to himself. There was also a dark red towel folded up right on top of the sink, as promised. Jesse smiled a little at that.

He turned to the towel rack and snorted, there were two others: one was black and the other was bright blue.  _ Okay so Mr. Edge and Boy Scout. Got it. _

Grabbing the folded towel, he pushed the other two over so he could reach it when he got out and laid his clothes on top of the closed toilet lid.

He turned on the water and figured out how to get it nice and warm before he stripped out of his clothes. They sort of clung to him and he wrinkled his nose in disgust. When was the last time he really showered? He cringed when he realized he couldn't really remember.

He stepped in and took his time to wash everything. It took a few rinses before the water started to run clean, and it took three washes with shampoo for his hair to finally feel less like a matted mess. One last rinse and he took a little conditioner for a final spray and he finally felt human again.

Still kinda sick, but the cleanliness did wonders to how he felt.

He dried off as quick as he could and pulled on the borrowed clothes. They were definitely too big, but they felt cozy and the worn cotton of the sweatshirt was sort of reassuring. He shrugged and gathered up his clothes, mildly wondering if they'd let him use their washer at some point. He shook his head though,  _ I’m only stayin’ ‘til I ain't sick no more. Can't start thinkin’ long term or else ‘m gonna hurt later. _

He sighed, he was already feeling too comfortable here. Maybe he should just leave now before he gets attached? Plus, he felt good enough to walk around, albeit a little shakily.

But then his stomach grumbled loudly, and he decided he should probably eat before he left.

_ Yeah, jus’ a lil’ food and then I'm outtie, _ he thought.

He made his way to the kitchen, and like the rest of the apartment, it was small. But of all the rooms he’s passed, it was probably the most lived in. There were pots and plates drying next to the sink, and he recognized the mug from the night before. The coffee pot also sat next to the sink, and it seemed to be the most high tech of the entire kitchen.

He chuckled a little, but had to cough to clear his throat. It wasn’t sore anymore, but he could still feel the phlegm at the back of his throat try to clear.

Noting another sticky note on the fridge, he ignored it this time and opened the fridge to find the promised soup. It was right up front with another sticky note that said ‘ _ He was wrong, warm it up for a full minute!’ _ in rushed handwriting. He snorted.

_ Where the hell do they even get all these sticky notes? _

He followed the instructions and idled around counter as he waited for the microwave to beep. Just at it beeped though, Jesse heard the front door unlock and he froze.

There was a sigh as the door opened and he spun around just as another man walked in.

“Oh. Hello,” he said with a small wave.

Jesse didn’t say anything but watched him carefully.

“Uh, right. So...I’m Jack? You’re Jesse, right?”

Jesse nodded.

“...you’re uh, feeling better I’m guessing?”

Jesse shrugged.

There was more silence between the two, and it was only broken when the microwave beeped again, with it’s not so gentle reminder that the food was warmed up.

“I’m Gabe’s fiance by the way, in case you’re wondering,” he offered. “And uh, you should probably eat the soup before it gets cold again? It’s not too good cold.”

Jesse turned a little to take the mug out, not taking an eye off of Jack.   


“Did you drink some more medicine yet? It’s been more than six hours since you took some, and it’d be best to take some after a full stomach,” he continued, ignoring Jesse’s skittishness.

The boy shook his head and took a sip of the soup. He couldn’t help the small smile, it was still pretty darn good.

“Alright good, finish the soup and you’ll take some more cough syrup. Gabo picked up some Gatorade for you. I’m only here for about a half an hour to check in on you, and make sure you get something to eat.”

“...wait, so you’re missing your lunch break?” Jesse asked quietly.

Jack hid his surprise at the kid finally answering him with a reply, “Nah, I’ve got another prep period later and the class can deal with me eating a sandwich after they’ve eaten their lunch.”

The teenager laughed a little at that and Jack grinned.

“Didja really make the soup, sir?” Jesse asked, surprising the older man.

“Call me Jack, and yeah. You like it, kid?”

“It ain’t bad,” he replied, “for white bread.”

Jack choked and laughed, “Not you too kid! I thought maybe I’d leave a good impression before you’d call me that!”

“Sorry sir, I calls ‘em as I sees ‘em,” Jesse bantered back. He finished the soup with one big gulp and immediately felt a wave of drowsiness.

Jack walked over to where he was standing and grabbed the small blackish purple bottle of medicine from the cupboard. He measured it out and also grabbed a bottle of red gatorade from the fridge.

“Here, let’s trade,” he said, offering the two to the boy.

Jesse cringed but took them without verbal complaint. Jack couldn’t help but laugh, the boy looked like he was being sent off to the gallows or something. He immediately knocked back the syrup and gagged.

“It’s not  _ that _ bad, Jesse,” he said.

“It ain’t bad iff’n yah can’t taste it. But the soup cleared my sinuses almost completely and now I can taste  _ all _ the things,” Jesse pouted in reply. He drank some of the gatorade after he stopped for a second though. “...how’d he know I like the red one?”

Jack shrugged. Gabe was just good at that sort of thing sometimes. Then again, the boy had a red backpack and kept a tattered red and yellow blanket--no wait, Gabe mentioned something about a serape?--in there, so the two figured he might prefer the color.

Jack was about to suggest Jesse maybe eat a little more, the boy was still too small, but he yawned and Jack couldn’t help but smile softly.

“Why don’t you go sleep the rest of your cold off? By the time you wake up, Gabriel should be home and we can eat dinner,” he said.

The boy deliberated for a bit, he was originally planning on leaving after he ate but...he still felt a little sick, and now he felt the exhaustion that he might’ve been ignoring earlier.

“And it’s probably going to rain again tonight, so it’d be a good time to get even more sleep,” Jack continued, seemingly sensing Jesse’s hesitance.

“Yeah...yeah. Okay, that sounds...good,” the teen said after a few seconds, not really looking at Jack. He turned around and made his way back to the room he was staying in but paused in the hallway and looked back.

“Uhm...thanks,” he muttered, before rushing back into the room.

Jack waved a little and replied with a, “No problem, Jesse,” before he checked the time. He had to be getting back or he might miss his class. The damn kids usually disappear if he doesn’t show up right on time, if not earlier. With a quiet sigh he shouted, “I’m heading back, kiddo! There’s numbers on the fridge, call us if you need anything!”

He paused to listen for an answer, but he only heard the house settling once more, and a quiet snore coming from the hallway.  _ Of course he fell asleep again, poor thing. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, that's it for chapter two! Let me know if anything doesn't seem to flow well or anything that needs to added to the notes like, language wise. I sort of obsessively re-read what I write, but I always seem to miss something during those re-reads.
> 
> I appreciate y'all checking this out!
> 
> So, until next time, dear reader...until next time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein they eat together a couple of times, joke about movies, and Jesse gets offered something. Sometimes good things do happen, you know?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ey so heads up with spoilers on Magnificent Seven and Pacific Rim. There's also mentions of The Avengers (just a heads up? I'm uhhhh, only semi fond of the whole Marvel series and feel more nostalgic towards it all, so I guess if you're mega into the series I'm sorry?) and The Book of Life is also mentioned.
> 
> Longer chapter! I meant to have this split up but...it really just didn't split nicely anywhere in there. So, here's chapter three!

The next time Jesse woke up, it was to soft knocking on the door and the smell of something savory, yet fishy wafting in.

“Jesse? Hey I know you might still need sleep, but you also need food and we didn't want you to miss a meal. Rice porridge is only really good while it’s raining, and guess what kiddo,” he paused. “It’s raining.”

It didn’t take long for Jesse to recognize the voice on the other side of the door this time. He could hear the light tapping of raindrops from his window and some plates clattering in the kitchen. So Gabriel came to get him and Jack was setting the table? He appreciated that it was Gabe though, Jack seemed alright, but he didn't know a lick about him.

“Porridge?” he asked. His throat felt almost normal enough to speak at his regular volume. “That...sounds pretty good actually.”

“Of course it is, kid. I made it!” the voice, Jesse recognized as Gabriel’s, sounded through the door. “Mind if I come in?”

Jesse shook his head, but realized he had to actually say something, “It’s your place, I uh, forgot you could lock it?”

He couldn't see him, but Gabe also shook his head outside the door, “Doesn't mean I can't respect your privacy, Jesse. You're our guest. I am not about to walk in on someone doing whatever it is they do behind closed doors.”

Jesse smiled, that was more than he had ever expected from any place he'd been living at. It was nice.

“You can come in, sir.”

The door opened, and the older man strolled in. “Told you brat, call me Gabriel,” he grumbled. A quick glance at the young teen and he grinned, “You're looking a lot less like death warmed over. Even in that edgy jacket.”

“Yah said I could borrow it!” he argued.

“Glad you did, those clothes smelt and looked awful,” Jesse stuck his tongue out at this. “I'm just saying, kid. Anyway,” he paused when he heard a faint growl of someone’s stomach, “you feeling good enough to join us? I thought you might prefer eating somewhere more open than in here. It isn't bad per say, but it isn't great either.”

He gestured to the empty closet, “Too musty.”

Jesse considered this, and while he admittedly felt awkward around the two men, he agreed that getting out of the room would be nice. He nodded, “Yeah...okay.”

“Good, do you need help up? Jackie said he saw you up earlier and you seemed fine, but you never know, you know?”

Jesse shook his head and stood up slowly. He wasn't nearly as shakey as before and other than the stuffiness of his nose and scratchiness of his throat, he felt fine. Great even.

He looked over at Gabe and gave him a thumbs up, to which the older man laughed.

“Come on Jesse, let’s eat.”

\---

Dinner with the two men felt incredibly awkward. He wasn't sure what to expect. He interacted with Gabriel just fine the past week, and Jack seemed okay, but talking to one occasionally and eating dinner with them were two completely different things.

There was mostly silence other than the occasional clink of silverware against the bowls and the occasional ‘thanks’ when something was passed to the other.

After a bit of silence Gabriel made an attempt to break it.

“So...how was your day?” Jack gave Gabe a look that said, ‘Is that really how you’re going to break the silence?’ Gabriel shrugged but inwardly agreed.

Jesse also shrugged, “Uh...slept. Showered, soup was good? Other than being kinda sick, I reckon it was alright?”

“That’s good,” Gabriel replied awkwardly.

The table lapsed into silence once more. Jesse was starting to even feel like he needed to say something.

“Did you need your clothes washed? We need to do a load this weekend, so...you can toss yours in too,” Jack offered. It wasn’t the best, but both he and Gabe knew it would result in the same short response.

“Oh, uh...yeah. I’d mighty appreciate that...thanks,” Jesse replied.

The room fell silent again. All three men began to sweat, and this time Jesse attempted to make conversation.

“Uh...crazy weather we’ve been having lately, am I right?” he tried.

Both Jack and Gabriel jumped at the opportunity and shouted a “Yeah! Weird weather!” at the same time. The three of them glanced at each other before Gabe snorted.

Then followed Jack and Jesse, who laughed ended up laughing so hard Jesse had folded over and Jack had tears in his eyes. It lasted all of ten seconds before Jesse starred coughing, and it didn't seem to stop.

Both Jack and Gabriel jumped out of their seats and made to try and help the poor boy. Gabriel made it to him first and started patting his back. The boy leaned a little into his hand and it took a lot for Gabriel to not hug him and rock him back and forth like his  _ mamá _ would when he was sick.

“Damn, I didn’t think that would happen. Should’ve though, let it out, Jess,” he said quietly.

Jack ran back to the kitchen and grabbed some water, along with the medicine from earlier.

The young teen wheezed for a minute before it finally let up. He nodded his thanks to Jack when he pushed the water towards him.

“Drink it slow,” Jack murmured. The boy obeyed and took some sips before he set it down.

He was bright red in the face and had tears in his eyes but he cleared his throat before shaking his head and subtly moving away from Gabriel.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

“Don't apologize for something that doesn't need to be apologized for. It devalues the meaning,” Jack replied. Gabriel gave him a look that said that maybe that was too harsh so he cleared his throat and continued. “A coughing fit is to be expected when you're still recovering from a cold. You're okay, Jesse.”

Jesse just seemed to flush more. He wasn't used to having this much attention on himself and even though it was uncomfortable, a very small part of him wanted more. He stamped it down quickly with a reminder that this was still very temporary.

Jesse’s deliberation didn't go unnoticed, as Jack and Gabriel shared a look but didn't say a word. A silent agreement was made to talk when Jesse was asleep once more.

“How about you take the last dose of cold medicine for the day and watch some tv? We only have local channels, but Netflix is hooked up to it if you want to watch that,” offered Gabriel. “They just added some westerns to their queue.”

Jesse perked up a little and asked, “How’d’ya know I liked westerns?”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, “Kid, you have nothing but plaid shirts and blue jeans, talk with one of the most southern, if not specifically cowboy accent, and your hat, while banged up, is a legitimate stetson. I think this is the one case I could assume something about you.”

“A’ight, well I was here for a good time and I’m feelin’ so attacked right now,” he stuck out his tongue. After a second of consideration he asked, “Do they got The Magnificent Seven? I uh...saw some posters near the local theater a while back, but never gotta chance to see it.”

Jack shook his head but before the boy could be too disappointed he gestured to the little shelf that held various dvds and blu-rays. “It's too new to be on there, but I picked it up for Gabe a few weeks ago. He hasn't watched it yet either.”

“Oh don't lie, you got it because you wanted to see, and I quote, ‘sick horse tricks’,” he leaned over to Jesse. “Boy Scout was a farm boy growing up.”

Jack rolled his eyes and Jesse snorted, but got cut off by a cough. He tried hiding it but Jack put the medicine he'd measured out a minute ago.

“Alright kid, medicine and then both you and Gabriel are off to the other room to watch a movie while I clean up dinner.”

The boy swallowed the medicine as quickly as he could and blanched. Luckily, Jack produced the gatorade he was drinking from earlier that day from seemingly out of nowhere and Jesse took a big gulp.

Jack pushed them out of the dining room and called out a, “Enjoy the movie!” before he busied himself in the kitchen. Gabriel and Jesse shared a look, with Jesse silently questioning the older man while the other just shrugged.

“We might as well watch the movie kid. Jack won't let us not.”

The two made it up to where Sam and the gang meets Robicheaux and Billy before Gabriel felt Jesse’s head lean onto his shoulder. A side glance, and Gabe saw that the kid had fallen asleep and was quietly snoring.

It was then that Jack walked out of the kitchen holding a plate of cookies, and for a split second looked disappointed. But immediately it was replaced with warmth, because Gabriel was doing his best to not to wake up the young teen and the older man’s face was priceless.

He had the most exaggerated frown Jack had ever seen, that and he was gesturing to him with his eyes that said,  _ This kid is literally the most precious thing, you know we can’t let him leave. _

Jack rolled his eyes but picked up a blanket to tuck around the kid.

“You know it has to be his choice, Gabriel,” he whispered.

_ Okay but look at him,  _ the other’s man’s glare said. His frown increased and he felt Jesse snuggle into the blanket.  _ He’s small and we need to protect him. _

“Gabo, that’s rude,” he lightly punched Gabriel’s other shoulder as he sat down. He held back a snort, as Gabe’s already intense frown intensified more.

“He deserves a better chance,” Gabriel muttered as he carefully leaned into Jack’s side.

Jack didn’t disagree, instead he hummed and put his arm around Gabe’s back as he settled in to finish the movie.

\---

About two hours later, the credits rolled, Gabriel was trying as hard as he could to not sniff and wake Jesse. 

The boy mumbled in his sleep as they attempted to rearrange themselves, but decided that, even though their couch was pretty comfortable, the three of them would regret sleeping there all night.

So, Jack got up first, stretched his legs, and carefully picked the sleeping teen up. The cold medicine must have really knocked him out, as he did nothing more than mumble a quiet ‘jus’ five more minutes, please?’ before going back to snoring.

Jack hummed and carried him back to the guest room and tucked him in once more. He decided it was better to place him on the other side of the bed, as they hadn’t gotten a chance to change the sheets yet, and the one half was pretty dirty from Jesse’s earlier street grime. A pause, and he moved Jesse’s bag to the other side of the bed so he could see it. Just in case.

He closed the door as quietly as he could and rejoined Gabriel on the couch.

“I hate you for telling me Sam lived. It got my hopes up.”

Jack immediately snorted, “Figured you’d assumed they’d all live if I told you that. Worked in my favor.”

Gabriel’s frown returned, but then he sighed. 

“Do you think it’d be fair to ask him to stay? I mean...I know I mentioned it before but we're only just figuring things out too. And money might not be scarce, but with a kid?And I know he's going to have some pretty damn major needs in the future. It could get tight...there might be better families for him.”

“He seems to like you though, Gabriel. Trusts you even. He was skittish around me earlier...not sure if he even likes me much. But...there might not be a better family for him. You'd understand a lot of what he's going through better than a lot of foster parents, and be just, if not more, supportive.”

Jack made sure to catch and hold his eyes, “I know I said it has to be his choice, but I think if you ask him, he’ll want to stay.”

Jack held his gaze for as long as he could before Gabriel looked away with a sigh but a small smile.

“Okay.”

The two passed the rest of the night cuddling on the couch.

Though both of them regretted the kinks in their backs and necks when they woke up.

\---

The next morning was a Saturday, so the two didn't need to go to work. They could try making lesson plans, but who were they kidding. The weekend was just as much a break for teachers as they were for their students.

Gabriel woke up right at eight though and shuffled his way into the kitchen. He'd normally be fine, but his neck was too stiff and his arm was buzzing from sleeping on it wrong.

Since Jack was still asleep, and he didn't hear any movement from Jesse’s room, he tried to be as quiet as possible as he started the coffee maker and began making breakfast.

The two had agreed that since Gabriel was a better morning person, and Jack was the ultimate sammich chef, Gabe would make breakfast and Jack would make lunch on the weekends. Dinner was a switch off thing, unless they needed time to finish work.

Weekend breakfasts were definitely something Jack looked forward to, and often it wasn't the noise that woke him, it was the delicious smell.

The other man was moving around the kitchen humming quietly to himself when he heard light taps of feet from the other room. A glance behind him and he saw Jesse standing there, rubbing his eyes and yawning like he just woke up.

...he probably did didn't he.

“Hey there sleeping beauty, I didn't wake you up with the sounds of breakfast, did I?”

Jesse shook his head and after doing so he looked more aware of his surroundings. He flushed a bit and seemed to back towards the hallway.

Gabriel acted quickly though, “You hungry?”

Jesse was about to deny it, but his stomach decided to make itself known.

Gabriel chuckled and gestured to the table.

“Sit down and wait a bit, kid. I’m making spam and eggs,” he paused. “Any preferences for drinks? We have juice, milk, and water. And don't say you don't need any, you're probably a little dehydrated and any of those would be good for you if you're still recovering from the cold.”

Jesse considered his options and answered quietly, “...you got any orange juice?”

“You can bet your ass we do,” he opened the fridge and grabbed something in it. “Hope you don't mind juice boxes, they usually keep longer and they're easy to pack for lunches.”

Jesse grinned a little, it was just like when he was a kid and he said, “The box makes it taste better!”

Gabriel laughed and he gently tossed the box to the boy, “Good answer.”

Jesse happily sipped on the juice as Gabriel went back to chopping up some onions. An air of silence fell before Jesse broke it, “How’re yah able to chop those things without cryin’ your eyes put?”

“I put all my skill points into fortitude,” the older man deadpanned.

“You serious right now,” the boy replied, also deadpanned.

“He lies, all of his skill points went to charisma,” came a gruff voice from the living room.

“You calling me hot, Jackie? I'm flattered!” Gabriel shouted.

“Never said you had a lot of points to start with,” said man answered as he entered the kitchen fully. He pressed a kiss to Gabriel’s cheek before turning to face Jesse who was half blanching but also looked like he was about to laugh, “If you soak the onion in cold water for a few minutes. It makes them not kill your eyes as much.”

Jesse nodded, huffing a little and attempted to keep his face at least neutral.

It was failing though.

“Wow thanks, asshole,” Gabe said without any bit as he nudged Jack’s side. “Ruin my reputation why don't you. I need to keep an air of mystery or else I will lose my  _ Edge _ .”

“Did you just,” said Jack. At that, Jesse couldn’t hold his laughter back any longer.

“Y’all are fuckin’ weird!”

“Watch your fucking language!” both Jack and Gabriel scolded before glancing at each other and laughing too.

Gabriel shook his head and turned back to the onions and slid them to the side, “Go sit down with Jesse,  _ cariño _ , I can't finish breakfast if you distract me like this.”

Chuckling, Jack nodded and sat across from Jesse. It was quiet, save for some chopping and pots dinging in the kitchen. Jack hummed a little.

“How are you feeling today, kiddo?” he asked.

Jesse perked up, “I think I'm back to one hundred percent!” But then he paused and Jack caught the frown before it disappeared and replaced with a fake smile. “I could probably be outta y’all’s hair today.”

Jack frowned too, and the sounds from the kitchen stopped. Before Gabriel could stomp in and say something, Jack asked, “You know...it's nearing the end of fall and it’s only going to get colder from here on out. I’m not entirely sure you have what you’d need to get by for the weather...and well, no one uses that room you're in.

“Would you be okay staying for the winter?”

The boy’s face fell blank and Jack panicked inwardly. The other man poked his head in from the kitchen and hid a grimace, unsure what was going through the kid’s head.

“Same things would apply? You can leave whenever you feel unsafe and we’ll just ask for another key so if you do need to head out for some time, you can...and no one robs us easily.”

Jesse still hadn’t made a sound. At some point his face had turned down towards the table and neither man could see his eyes.

There was silence. Jack and Gabriel’s panic began to show on their faces, and they were unsure how to continue or if they had overstepped their boundaries.

“Wha’d’ya want in return?” the boy said, breaking the silence. “Wha’d’ya’ll get outta all this.”

The two men shared another glance, though this one confused.

“We don’t really want anything in return? You could occasionally help around the apartment with cleaning? And we could teach you how to cook some things,” Jack offered.

“But we do get the comfort of knowing that some kid isn’t out on the streets freezing his ass off when we could at least give them someplace to stay,” Gabriel continued. “I’d say that’s a pretty good thing to get out of all this.”

Jesse shook his head, “It can’t be that easy. There’s always a catch.” He glared at them expectantly. “I already learned that. Always a catch. Iff’n it’s too good to be true, it is.”

His hands curled into fists at his side and his eyes had a far away look to them.

Gabriel sighed and sat down next to Jack, but still across from Jesse to give him some space.

“You’re not wrong, Jesse,” he said. He waited until the boy looked up at him. “If it’s too good, it probably isn’t good. And admittedly, the two of us aren’t always the best people.”

The boy tensed.

“And to be honest, we might not even be good enough to take care of a kid for a long period of time. Money’s sometimes tight, and we both have our own issues,” he continued. “But, we try, I guess? We both try to do the right thing and do right by each other and also do what’s right for our students. And right now, the right thing is making sure that you’re at least safe. Especially with winter coming as early as it has.”

The teen relaxed and mulled this over.

“And the offer would still stand, you leave the second you feel you need to. But maybe take some of my old sweatshirts with you if you do?”

Jack looked ready to protest this, but Gabriel held up a hand.

Jesse was silent for a while longer, his face had turned back down to the table and the two could see him frown.

“...I leave whenever, and y’all won’t try an’ chase me down,” he stated.

Gabe jumped a little in surprise and Jack immediately said a fervent, “Okay yeah.”

“...okay,” was the muttered response. Gabriel smiled softly and Jack nodded. “But I ain’t gonna just free-load. I’ll help with chores and I’ll pay for whatever I need with my own money.”

Jack frowned at that, but Gabriel jumped in, “If you’ll at least be home by dinner and double check that the place you set up at is both okay with you playing there and safe to be.”

The kid looked surprised, but nodded.

The three sat in a slightly awkward silence before they smelled something that smelled slightly burnt and Gabriel jumped up to run back into the kitchen, “Shit--the spam!”

Jack jumped up and joined him, “How could you forget the stove--Gabriel are you serious?!”

“This was more important!” said man shouted back at him from where he’d run to shut off the stove.

This left Jesse alone at the table, for which he was grateful. He didn’t want to stay, he told himself, and he knew that doing this would make it even harder to leave when the time came. But a very small part of him, the part of himself that missed having someone he could trust even a little bit, it told him that he did want to stay. That he should stay. That he deserved to stay.

He shook his head and let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

After a some time of dings and crashing from the kitchen, the two men returned to the table with four plates of food. Three were piled with scrambled eggs that were covered in onions and green peppers, and two slices of spam. There was also some sliced fruit on the side, with some oranges and apples for what looked like dessert. The other plate must have been the extra spam from what Gabe had cooked along with a few rolls of bread.

“Saved the spam, thank god,” Gabriel said, setting one of the plates in front of Jesse. He laughed at Jesse’s questioning stare. “Sometimes you have to have good old salty, ultra preserved comfort food.”

“There’s more eggs in the pan on the stove if you want more. Neither of us grabbed them because there were a couple too many plates,” the other added.

Jesse nodded and waited for the others to start eating before he dug in. Gabriel took out a bottle of hot sauce from what seemed like nowhere and drizzled a little on his eggs. He noticed Jesse staring curiously and grinned, “White bread may have good tastes, but he can’t handle that much spice.” Jack nudged him at that with a joking roll of his eyes but the man continued, “You want some? It’s sriracha.”

The boy grinned and nodded again as Gabriel passed it to him. He didn't exactly drown his eggs but he did come pretty close.

They finished off breakfast quietly, though this time it was pleasant with no expectations to speak. Jesse ended up eating an extra two slices of spam before he was completely full.

As the minutes flew by, Jack suggested that they rewatch the movie from last night since Jesse had fallen asleep the first time (and because there were still a plate of cookies in the entertainment room). They finished up right in time for lunch, at which point Gabriel suggested they just make it a lazy day and keep watching movies.

Jack agreed and asked Gabriel to choose next, as he decided it'd be good to start getting lunch ready. The other man grinned and suggested Pacific Rim. Jesse admitted he had only heard vague mentions of it, but was interested.

Jack rolled his eyes, but agreed to watch it...again. The two had watched it at least once a week since they moved into the apartment, and that was little over a year ago.

Before the movie started though, Jesse asked, “Y'all really okay with jus’ watchin’ movies all day? I ain't complainin’ but...don't people normally clean or somethin’?”

Gabe shrugged, “We do usually get some chores done over the weekend, but we can always finish them tomorrow. It's hard to stop a good movie day once you have it going.”

“And a little break never hurt anyone. I will take literally any excuse to ignore parent e-mails,” Jack called from the kitchen.

“You’ll just answer them later tonight, Jackie, don't kid yourself!” Gabriel shouted back. He snorted at the incredulous look Jesse gave him. “Technically there's a 24 hour rule on these things. You need to answer within 24 hours of an email. I take the 24 hours as work days, he takes them as any days. He's a stickler for some of the lesser rules.”

“Well if I don't answer that kid’s parents will send me five emails and one more to the principal asking if I've read it.”

“You always did get the shit parents, Jack-o-lantern.”

“It's not that I--what.”

“What.”

Jesse coughed, and it sounded suspiciously like a snort.

The two were literally arguing across the apartment over emails, all the while Jack was making sandwiches and Gabriel switched out the movies. It was so damn domestic.

The other man returned from the kitchen, lunch in tow, as he light-heartedly tossed a paper towel wad at Gabe’s head.

He pointed to the three sandwiches, seemingly expertly made and asked, “Do you have any preferences, kid? I didn't go too extravagant this time, they're sort of like the Italian subs you could get at Subway? But more onions and seasoning.”

Jesse shook his head, so Jack passed him one of the three. Gabriel grinned when Jack handed him his own, this one with slightly more pepperoni than anything else.

The three settled in as he hit play. Lunch went quickly, but there was this feeling of need for something to just munch on, so before the big mech vs monster fight, Gabriel jumped over the back of the couch and ran into the kitchen. Just a little bit of clanging, a microwave being set up, and the tell-tale sounds of popcorn began. There was the sound of light foot tapping, before the two could hear the bag being emptied into a bowl and Gabriel was back right as the Crimson Typhoon goes down.

To say anything else really happened, would be an exaggeration. And while Jesse did thoroughly enjoy the movie, it was more interesting to watch Gabriel and Jack mouth some of the words, mutter something along the lines of, ‘just kiss him already, Newt, you've got kids even!’, and occasionally throw popcorn when there was a teasing remark about how emotional the other became.

Though all three did shed a tear because of Max the dog.

They watched The Avengers next, at Jesse’s request. Both older men didn’t want to turn him down, as he seemed excited over it, and both knew it would be good to let him choose.

Well, sometimes you learn through experience, and while it was an interesting watch, the three agreed it was weak in comparison to the first two movies.

“I won’t lie, kid, I’m glad it’s over. A few jokes and a couple of ‘yeah’ moments does not a fun movie make,” Gabriel sighed as the credits began to roll.

Jesse frowned, but agreed. “If it ain’t that good, why’d’y’all even get it?”

“It wasn’t exactly bad and I had fun watching it theaters, but it was a gag gift from Gabo,” Jack responded with a shrug. “He said I looked like Captain America.”

“And acts like him. I told you the man was a boy scout, remember, Jess?” replied the other man. “Plus he’s still stuck in the ‘40s interests wise. Really old soul.”

Jack threw a pillow at Gabriel’s head, to which he chuckled.

“You wound me Jackie!”

“Tactical necessity.”

Jesse covered his laughter at that, and both men were glad to hear because it meant the boy was hopefully starting to feel comfortable around them.

“Alright, I'm getting sick of all the live action and explosions, how about an animated movie to finish up the night?” suggested Gabriel after things calmed down. “I'll just warm up last night’s leftovers for dinner.”

“Gabo, you've watched that movie ten times in the last month, you aren't sick of it yet?” Jack called as the man stood up and left for the kitchen.

“I will never be sick of the best animated movie ever,” was the reply. “The Book of Life cannot be rivaled!”

Jack cast a glance at Jesse and realized the boy was lost once more.

“It’s an animated movie that takes place entirely in Mexico and the main character writes cheesy love songs,” he says.

“Sounds...interesting?” responds the boy.

“It's good! Just play it, golden boy!” calls Gabriel once more from the kitchen.

Jack chuckles but obliges. He glances over his shoulder and smirks, “I might be teasing tall, dark, and broody but he isn't wrong.”

Jesse nods, as he doesn't know what else to reply with and settles back into the couch. The movie gets to Maria freeing the pigs before Gabriel returns with three bowls of reheated soup.

“There's more in the kitchen, kiddo, just grab some as you please,” he says to Jesse. He then also settle back into the couch between Jack and Jesse.

Jesse definitely enjoyed it, as much if not more than Gabriel. He actually snorted when he realized what some of the songs Manolo played were. He had to also be calmed down as he almost had a coughing fit when he played  _ Creep _ .

It had gotten a little late when the credits rolled and Jesse looked to be vibrating with excitement. Jack was about to ask him what he thought, but the boy shout yawned a, “Joaquiiiiiiiiin!” and he had his answer.

Gabriel cracked up while Jack cleared off the table in front of them. It was covered in used plates and he mildly grimaced at the amount of dishes he'd need to wash.

Before he walked back into the kitchen though, Jesse took some of the plates and said he'd do dishes since they did all the cooking that day. However, the kid looked pretty tired, and even though he had said he was feeling fully better, Gabriel also knew he'd need a few more days for his body to be completely recovered too.

So, he shook his head. Before Jesse could protest though, Jack offered him a deal.

“How about you go to sleep early tonight and you can help with dishes tomorrow? You still look pretty exhausted.”

Jesse frowned, about to say something along the lines of pulling his weight, but Gabriel cut in.

“Sleep, kid. You'll get your chance at dishes tomorrow, I could even wake you up to help with breakfast if you want.”

The teen considered this and while disappointed, he nodded. He mock saluted, “Aye aye, capitanes.” Before walking back to his room.

“And grab a new hoodie from the drawers if you want! Fresh clothes are sleepworthy clothes!” shouted Gabriel after him. Neither heard a word of reply but did hear the dresser opening and closing, albeit quietly.

“I think he’ll be okay,” Jack muttered after the two heard less rustling coming from the guest room. “At least he’s bantering with us? That has to mean something good.”

“Maybe, give him a little space though the next few days. Kid may just be especially good at laughing shit off.”

“...yeah. I know...I guess we’ll have to just be as supportive as we can be…?” Jack offered.

“It’s all we can do, Jackie. We could try and pry but...we still have to earn his trust fully. He might be more comfortable around us, but that doesn’t mean he trusts us.”

Jack nodded, “One step at a time?”

Gabriel grunted, “One step at a time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that took a bit longer to have up, but that's just about the end of where I'm at full chapter wise? I think I'll post some of the one shots I've got finished in between the updates, so y'all'll get a chance to see how everyone else fits into this universe. And that part I'm mega excited about.
> 
> So funny story too, I get a lot of inspiration from things that happen in my life, in particular some of the shenanigans I get into with my friends. Gabe's reactions are _exactly_ how I reacted when my friend, Jed, had me watch M7. He told me the exact same things. I was so mad. But also, so very sad. Because of course my favorite was Billy. OF FREAKIN COURSE.
> 
> If there's anything else I'm missing, let me know! I updated the first two chapters with the added italics, so hopefully that makes things also easier to read.
> 
> Oh and hey. Thanks.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are p darn domestic, but also real talk with Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, so...yeah it's been a few months? Whoops. I promise I've been coming back to work on this like. As often as I can but I got so distracted with everything else that happens later, I ended up taking forever to write even this. I wanted to add more but...it was either finish this chapter now, but with a short chapter...or take a lot longer to get to the end and not have anything up for a couple more months. I wanted to give y'all something so, I went with a shorter chapter. 
> 
> However! I decided that because it was so short, I'll post something that happens later on and focuses on different characters. I hopefully will be able to work on this during my break though! So I want to finish this first part so I can get on to other characters! 'Cause Gabe and Jack's family is gonna grow.

The next day, Jesse woke up almost at the same time Gabriel did. The older man couldn’t help but snort when the teen walked into the kitchen wearing a too big sweatshirt, too long sweatpants, and a extra large cowboy hat that he kept pushing out of his eyes. The boy rolled his eyes but marched into the kitchen with a sense of determination.

Jesse was practically insistent that Gabe let him help make breakfast. He didn’t mind the help, though the boy was fairly clumsy in the kitchen and kept wanting to add just a dash more spice to almost everything. And while the older man would have definitely kicked it up a notch, he had to keep reminding Jesse that Jack could only handle so much spice.

Jesse argued that he’d never be able to if the man kept it so ‘plain’.

“Jesse. I’m not going to make my fiancé starve or make himself get water poisoning or some shit just because you want to make everything ultra spicy!” laughed Gabriel from one side of the kitchen.

“Then how about we just make sure there’s a lotta milk an’ set down the gallon in front of him when we set out the food?” the boy grinned. “‘Sides, I heard milk’s got lotsa calcium an’ calcium’s good for bones and ol’ fellas like y’all need that shit to not break down into mush or somethin’!”

Gabriel snorted, “We aren’t that old you brat!” He grabbed the front edge of Jesse’s hat and pulled it down over his eyes. The kid responded by laughing and trying to swat away the man’s hand.

“I ain’t no brat, old man!” the boy bantered back. 

Gabe pulled the hat further down Jesse’s face and the two continued to laugh. This was the scene Jack walked into, and since he didn’t want to interrupt the two, he smiled and leaned against the doorway.

He let the two continue on for a minute or two before he walked over and turned off the stove, saving breakfast, “Eggs burn faster than spam, Gabo. Thought you knew this.”

Gabriel continued to pull Jesse’s hat over his eyes as he leaned over and pecked Jack on the cheek, “I knew you’d save breakfast first, boy scout, you care about food as much as you love me.”

“Only when it’s breakfast, Gabriel,” was Jack’s reply. He doled out the food before leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to Gabe’s lips and joked. “And wrong. I care about breakfast more than I love you.”

“That’s a lie and you know it,” Gabriel laughed as he playfully nudged the other with his elbow. “You’re setting a bad example for the kid.” Jack just chuckled.

“How’re y’all so disgustingly domestic this early in the mornin’? There’s gotta be somethin’ ‘gainst all that mushy crap,” Jesse groaned after he fixed his hat. 

Even though he was putting up a front, he thought that it was pretty sweet that the two were so comfortable around each other. He thought that he should feel more awkward to be a part of it all, but he didn’t. Their easiness helped Jesse settle in just a bit more as he helped set the table.

The day passed like this, silly barbs and even sillier jokes were passed between the group. Eventually they did more chores together, the Sunday passing quickly but also somehow slowly. To Jesse, it felt like someone just kept hitting fast forward and playing a video whenever they wanted to watch specific scenes.

There was no doubt that it was the most comfortable and almost…at home he’d felt in months, maybe even years. It was strange, and a part of him wanted to remind him it was only for a few months. It was only for a few months.

But then Gabriel laughed at something Jack said and then asked Jesse who he sided with, to which the boy obviously sided with Gabriel, much to Jack’s exaggerated dismay.

The voice did keep saying it deep down, but it faded to a distant heartbeat. A persistent thrum that was barely there but one could still hear it. One still knew it was there.

Jesse shook his head and swallowed it down. He decided that for once, maybe he’d live in the moment and not worry about the future, at least. For now.  
—-  
Time passed and Jesse spent less and less time outside playing drums. Jack asked him to make sure he was bundled up before he went, to avoid getting sick of course, but it was becoming too cold to attempt going out for as long as he used to.

He also didn’t know how to feel about the flashes of concern he’d see in each of their eyes and frowns when he came home one day, his clothes soaked from the snow.

But then that meant he was going to get bored staying in the apartment. He did clean what he could and did what he felt would ‘earn his keep’ (even though neither of the men asked him to), after doing even that much he ran out of things to do.

One day, Jack brought home a textbook from the school. He mentioned that one of the math teachers was taking an extended leave and instead of hiring a substitute in the meantime, they asked if he could take the class. It was a pretty low level Pre-Algebra class and he was technically certified up through Algebra II so he thought why not, he’d even get a raise for the time.

Jesse was curious and when the man went to work on dinner, instead of lingering around him, he flipped through the book.

That was a mistake. 

He’d taken math through middle of sixth grade, but when he started getting shuffled around different homes, he lost interest in school altogether and his grades tanked. He knew basic arithmetic and geometry but he got lost in all the finite details.

Jack walked into seeing Jesse squinting at the book angrily. 

“You alright there, Jesse?” he asked.

The boy slammed the book closed before looking up.

“Yes sir!” 

Jack sighed, “You don’t have to hide things, kid, you interested in math?” 

“Nah, sir I...I was just curious. I ain’t that good at math...can do all the arithmetic and sh--stuff but any further I get lost,” Jesse said without meeting Jack’s eyes. “Ain’t right to mix letters an’ numbers, just gets all sorts of confusin’.”

Jack hummed and paused what he was working on to stand next to the boy.

“I think you probably get pretty bored during the day, there’s only so many times a person can dust a surface...I’m actually worried about messing up something you might have just cleaned, to be honest,” he said.

“O-oh no sir, I appreciate everything y’all have done for me! I uh, I guess I just spent a lot more time playing outside than I thought...don’t remember the last time I sat and didn’t need to do nothin’.”

Jack hummed again, “Would you like to try learning it again?” He paused because Jesse almost immediately shook his head and cast a wistful gaze towards the math book. “It’d be like a trade, honestly. You get a chance to relearn things that you’ll probably need later in life, and I get a test student so I know whether I’ve still got it.”

“I...I ain’t sure, sir. I uh, I’d like to stay here through the winter, but all my teaches kept tellin’ me was that I was impossible to teach,” the boy replied, avoiding Jack’s eyes. “I know Imma a real terror in a classroom an’ I’m too stubborn to try anymore. I know y’all are good folk, but I would just be a pain in the ass to teach and I don’ wanna get kicked out again.”

Jack frowned at that. Jesse said it all so matter-of-factly that he truly seemed to believe it. 

Knowing where Gabe met this kid, all evidence points to yes, he did believe that.

“Well those were some crappy teachers,” replied Jack. “I know there’s a lot of kids that have trouble understanding certain concepts, and some things never click. But no student is unteachable unless they don’t want to learn anything at all.”

Jack heard him mutter, “Heh, yeah...that’s me, ain’t it.”

Jack couldn’t help but feel anger towards whoever convinced Jesse of this. Teaching was hard, and it was not for everyone. But when a teacher gives up on their students, and actually says these sorts of things? It helps no one.

“That is completely untrue, Jesse,” Jack grunted out. He tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but some of it seeped through and he could see the boy freeze in fear. 

Deep breath.

“I’m sorry, kiddo,” Jack rubbed a hand down his face in frustration. “If I sound angry, it is definitely not at you. I’d probably only get annoyed because you tried to prank me again.”

Jesse didn’t relax.

“I’m angry that someone convinced you of something so completely wrong, Jesse,” he continued and sat down so he could be eye level with the kid. Jesse still didn’t move, but he could see the boy was following him with his eyes. “There’s been studies about whether or not a person will choose to not study or play and after a time, they will always choose to eventually come back in and learn. Humans are naturally curious creatures.

“But there’s also no such thing as a student that is ‘impossible to teach’. Difficult, yes. A pain in our asses, of course. But the only times a teacher has to pull back is when the parents push too far, and even then it’s only after we’ve exhausted every other route to help the student,” he said. “We might get frustrated and annoyed, but I think, and I believe Gabriel agrees with me, but I think that every student just needs to learn in their own way in order to absorb the information we have to teach them. And I believe that it’s a teacher’s duty to their students to find that way. And if they aren’t able to do that for them, they find someone who can.”

At some point Jesse had started to relax just a little bit and began to openly stare at Jack.

There was a heavy silence that settled between the two, and the older man thought that maybe he said too much, but then Jesse took a deep breath and nodded imperceptibly.

“...okay,” he muttered.

Jack blinked. He didn’t say anything, still unsure if he imagined Jesse’s response.

Jesse coughed and said just a little louder, “O-okay...I...yeah. Iff’n yer willin’ to give me a chance I’ll...I’ll uh, give it a try.”

At that, Jack grinned and ruffled Jesse’s hair without thinking, “Good, because it’s been a few years since I’ve even looked at the textbook. It’ll be a learning experience for both of us.”

Jack didn’t comment on it, but he did notice that Jesse leaned just a little bit into the man’s hand and hadn’t swatted him away. Instead, he let out a breath and nodded.

Just one step at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it, I have re-read this a few times, but I know I missed a couple o' things, so please tell me if something doesn't make sense or if something is just. Blech. 
> 
> Next chapter should wrap this up, but I've hopefully mentioned it but uh, it's still only the beginning. I've got so much planned out for this lil' world...I just wanna keep expandin' it, heh.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if there's anything that I need to translate or add a note on what they mean? I admittedly had A LOT of fun writing Jesse. I'm sort of a sucker for dumb cowboy-isms. Oh and, I am planning on adding a lot more Spanish too? Admittedly it's high school level and I haven't really spoken it for about four years, so whenever that comes up, please let me know whether I've got it right grammar and spelling wise. (Also, would you rather I keep it in normal font or italics? I'll leave it as is if no one has any objections, though I will do italics for longer sentences if that comes up.)
> 
> I think that's all, so hey.
> 
> Thanks.


End file.
